Acquired Disability Support Services

ARCsupport (Accommodation, Respite and Community support) is
about creating futures with hope for families affected by acquired
injuries, including acquired brain injuries (ABIs) and spinal cord
injuries (SCIs).

ARCsupport is an initiative led by Karingal in the Barwon area
of Victoria. It began in July 2006 following initial research work
that culminated in the launch of the report "In a moment,
everything can change …" The report highlighted the needs of
families who have a young adult member who has an ABI.

The report identified 10 goals that were subsequently grouped
into three key areas of development

Accommodation

Respite

Community support

ARCsupport is committed to the development of:

Permanent accommodation options in the Barwon Area

A variety of family centred, flexible respite options that
respond to the needs of individual families

A range of community supports that enable and empower
individuals and families.

Community support - to walk beside

The community support arm of ARCsupport is committed to
developing services and options that walk beside families as they
travel their journey of supporting a member with ABI or SCI.
Services are developed by working closely with families.
Existing services include:

The development of formal and informal family support
networks
(see
BRAINS and SPINES)

The development of a community based information, advocacy and
support service that walks beside families following discharge from
health services

The development and implementation of community and school
education programs

Brain Injury Awareness

Did you know that:

2.2% of the Australian population has an Acquired Brain Injury
(ABI)? That is more than slightly one in 50 people or 432,700
Australians.

Brain injuries do not just affect the individual, they affect
the whole family. So, approximately 1.7 million Australians have
had their lives changed by brain injury.

Did you know that brain injury does not discriminate? Anyone at
anytime can suffer a brain injury. Road traffic accidents, brain
aneurysm, stroke, assault, attempted suicide, infections and drug
and alcohol misuse are among some of the causes of ABI.

Geelong ABI Clubhouse

The Geelong ABI Clubhouse provides peer and social support for
people with acquired brain injury. The opening of the clubhouse in
2013 was thanks to funds raised by the Karingal Foundation's Hundred
Hole Hike.

The ABI Clubhouse is open to anyone who has an ABI; a very
common injury to the brain that can be caused by incidents ranging
from a stroke or motor vehicle accident, to a fall or a blow to the
head. An ABI can happen to anyone at any time.

The ABI Clubhouse, located at Eastern Hub Geelong, is open every
Tuesday, between 10:30am and 2:30pm.

For more information on the ABI Clubhouse, or to become a member
please contact Jacqui Pierce on 5258 4205 or j_pierce@bigpond.net.au.

Latest News

For nine years, Ronnie and Raquel have been together and in
love. A particular goal of theirs has been to live together, and
thanks to the support of Karingal St Laurence's My Own Place
program, DHHS and Active Community Housing, they are now living
independently in a unit in Yarraville.

Karingal's commitment to the provision of shared living dates
back more than 40 years and we offer shared living and residential
respite from properties located in Geelong, Colac, Mornington
Peninsula and Warrnambool.

This year's Karingal St Laurence KarnivART art exhibition
attracted more entries than ever before, with 100 high quality
artworks created by artists with a disability on display at Eastern
Hub Geelong until Friday June 2.

Culturally and linguistically diverse (CALD) job seekers from
the Whittlesea region are benefiting from a new employment program
which officially launched yesterday. City at
Work is a collaboration between Melbourne City Football
Club, through their charity City in the Community, and local
employment providers MatchWorks and Employment Services Group
(ESG).

MatchWorks Work for the Dole (WfD) job seekers have assisted in
the design and creation of a transportable 9-hole mini golf course
for the Frankston City Council North Hangout. The golf course,
named Peninsula Sandtrap, was unveiled yesterday at a celebratory
event at Frankston North Community Centre.